Blazed.
- Waka Kotahi | NZ Transport Agency -“The drug driving ad we played on Homai is going viral. Hell, even my Mongrel Mob mates reposted it.”
Revealing parents’ behaviour through the eyes of their tamariki
Māori men who smoke weed regularly were found to underplay the risk when they get behind the wheel stoned. Even with their kids in the car.
The approach wasn’t to judge, but to sow a seed of doubt about whether they really are okay to drive. Kids are experts in observing parents’ behaviour – especially behaviour parents would prefer to hide. By showing their actions through their kids’ eyes they begin to ask themselves; if my being stoned is so obvious to the ones I love, am I really safe to drive?
Director Taika Waititi helped capture the nuanced dialogue and colloquialisms to create the short film. Introduced on-air during one of Māori Television’s most popular shows, the film was seamlessly integrated into their content, rather than appearing as an ad.
Blazed became one of the most popular social marketing campaigns in Aotearoa history, going viral instantly and creating new conversations amongst whānau. Beyond a run of 12 TV spots, there was no other paid media. Its success relied on a small audience loving and sharing the content – with millions of views generated within a few days. Global sharing made news at home, encouraging even more coverage. The earned media eventually provided 42x more exposure than bought media. Importantly, data and comment analysis showed these viewers (once we removed non-NZ eyeballs) to be our target audience and their outtake from the content to be as hoped.
Comments changed from being neutral or negative about the message to being 90% positive, with 40% of the audience surveyed saying it changed their attitude towards driving drugged.